Minister says new LRT funding model could take time

Lithuanian Culture Minister Lukas Alsys says developing a new funding model for the national broadcaster LRT could take time, LRT reported, citing an interview he gave to BNS this week. The rules will also need to be coordinated with the European Union, he said.

A working group on the issue is expected to begin work at the Culture Ministry soon. It will consider possible funding mechanisms before the model goes through coordination procedures, Alsys said. No deadline has been set, as the ministry wants to produce a carefully considered solution agreed with all parties.

Alsys confirmed that LRT will receive the same level of funding in 2027 as in 2025, under the law currently in force. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius has also said a new model is needed and should not be linked to excise revenue. He said the broadcaster’s budget should instead be tied to economic growth.

Under amendments to the LRT law passed by parliament in late November last year, the broadcaster’s funding is frozen at its 2025 level for 2026 to 2028. Its budget is 79.6 million euros this year and will remain at that level in 2027 and 2028. From 2029, LRT would receive 0.75% of personal income tax revenue and 0.8% of excise revenue. Before this year, it received 1% of personal income tax revenue and 1.3% of excise revenue.

The Constitutional Court has ruled, in 2020 and previously, that lawmakers must ensure LRT does not face political pressure when state budget allocations are planned and approved. The court said that relying solely on state budget funding could make the broadcaster’s budget dependent on decisions by the government and parliament, potentially undermining its institutional and editorial independence and the public’s constitutional right to be informed.